


Come Fly With Me

by Justanothertrashaccount



Series: Olivia Benson's Prompted One-Shot Collection [4]
Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: F/M, First Kiss, Truth or Dare, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-13
Updated: 2020-12-13
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:39:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28042536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Justanothertrashaccount/pseuds/Justanothertrashaccount
Summary: When Liv and Barba are on a plane to fly to a conference, they play a game of truth or dare that turns into something more. Playful, tense, and ends with crossing lines that they’ve never crossed before. Discussions about why Barba really reported Liv and Tucker to 1PP and the conflict with that.
Relationships: Rafael Barba/Olivia Benson
Series: Olivia Benson's Prompted One-Shot Collection [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2046743
Comments: 9
Kudos: 41





	Come Fly With Me

**Author's Note:**

> The second I saw the wording in the prompt, I knew where this was going to go. Despite the great prompts I used, I suppose I need to brush up on my ability to write playful banter. Although my love for Tuckson is strong, this fic is strictly Barson and the topic of Tucker is only included to up the tension. My last work with Bensler (the one where Bushido takes Liv up on her offer in the ep Wildlife) was not that popular or apparently well-liked from the abysmal kudos/comments to hits ratio, so this one should be a stepping-stone to get back into my groove. On the bright side, I am learning that nobody really enjoys pedantic diction when it comes to fluff and banter, so I tried my best to make it shorter and less analytical than usual. As always, I hope you like it!

**2) Barson first kiss on a plane,**

**3) As a full Barson fan of course I have a line about Tucker, I want you to use:**

**“So look me in the eyes, Rafael, and say you telling 1PP about me and Tucker was purely professional. Say it, I dare you.”**

**-BaGi14**

* * *

Boarding the plane took longer than expected and the unknown issue caused the pair to settle into their seats at 7:00 pm when the flight was supposed to depart at 6:15. Although originally irritated at the delay, the pair soon realized this allowed for more one-on-one time at the gate. Neither acknowledged their newfound contentment.

Planes had never been a frequent or enjoyable feature in Barba’s life and their often “turbulent” role in movie dramas exacerbated his already existing fear as a child. After 9/11, he vowed never to be a passenger on one again. The additional comfort of business class did nothing to cure the anxiety that Barba was feeling at the moment, and Olivia watched with sympathy as he had closed his eyes during takeoff.

Making a calculated risk that tested personal boundaries, she maneuvered a bit so her hand could soothingly rest on his. He turned their hands around until he was holding hers, gentleman style. After the plane successfully ascended into the darkening sky, he let go out of fears that this intimacy was intended to only last the duration of his discomfort. Almost disappointed, Olivia relocated her newly cold hand to her faux-fur pockets.

Olivia hadn’t flown since her trip to Paris, but that felt like ancient history now. Her breakup with Tucker left a few emotional sore spots, especially since Noah had asked about him once or twice. Nevertheless, Olivia Benson did what she always did: hardened her emotional shell and raised walls. Despite this frustrating self-preservation strategy, there were always two people who could break through the barrier. Fin would have automatically earned this trust just based on the amount of history they had together as friends, but his loyalty after the incident with Harris had sealed the deal. Why she was so close to Barba, on the other hand, was still a mystery. Of course, she knew why they were friends. The dynamic pair worked together in close proximity so there was bound to be some sort of closeness even if Barba didn’t possess his humorous personality. But it was more than that, they both felt it, and that is what made the special element of their relationship a mystery. Maybe it was his strong attitude, his swagger, or his cologne, she didn’t really know. Either way, his drawing allure sparked the beginning of their strong “friendship” and the phenomenon continued.

Olivia saw his hands tremble with anxiety once more when the plane experienced the smallest bit of turbulence. The captain’s assurances over the loudspeaker did nothing to quell her best friend’s anxiety. Instead of grasping his hand like last time, which had become rather awkward after the plane lifted off, she decided to distract him instead.

“Do you want to play a game? Truth or Dare?”

His nervous face grew into a wide grin, fears _almost_ forgotten. “Are we five?”

“If you add a zero”, she responded playfully.

“You can go first. Truth or dare?”

Olivia was no coward. “Dare.”

“I dare you to…”, his eyes searched their surroundings with great excitement, his options limited due to their immobility, “lick the back of the headrest in front of you!”

“That’s disgusting!”

“Funny. I never pegged you for a coward…”

The thought of the germs that resided on the leather headrest was almost revolting, so Liv decided not to think at all. Completely out of character for her usually respectable demeanor, she decided to do it. After all, there was no way she was going to back down after Barba played the “coward” card. After a brief glance to make sure no one was watching, her pink tongue tapped it for a microsecond, like when a snake smells something. The contact must have been microscopic, but the playful shame was mixed with a sense of _“And you thought I couldn’t do it”_ pride. 

Her pride was lost on Rafael, as other things currently occupied his mind. He couldn’t help but think of other places she could lick. What her tongue could do to him. Even when her mouth closed and she returned to recline in her seat, he still enjoyed his fantasy for a few moments longer.

She knew exactly what he was thinking and she couldn’t help but enjoy the power trip it gave her. Olivia would occasionally catch him staring in the precinct, but most of the ogling would happen in causal settings where their conduct wasn’t as restricted to workplace professionalism. “You still with me?”

Caught and embarrassed, Rafael mentally regrouped.

“I believe it’s my turn to go now.”, he redirected.

“Truth or dare?”

Deciding to match her level of bravery, he chose dare.

When she made a “hmm” sound with a mischievous grin, he knew he was in trouble.

“Okay, I got it”, she began with an unwavering but suppressed smile, “I want you to call one of the flight attendants over. Ask for her number.”

“No way I’m doing that.”

“Then maybe you shouldn’t have picked dare, Rafa.”, her smile was almost radiant now, “But I’ll let this one slide.”

“Oh? What’s the catch?”

“Whatever truth I ask, you have to answer it. No passes.”

“Okay…”

There was no way Olivia was going to let this opportunity pass without exploiting it to the farthest extent. However, she already knew a great deal about Barba and there wasn’t much left to be explored except their childhoods. Generally understanding that topic as mutually off-limits, she decided to choose a college experience instead.

“When did you lose your virginity and how bad was it?”

“Freshman year of college, and it was terrible.”

“Oh no, Counselor. I’m going to need more than that.”

A sly smile formed on his face as well, “I answered the question!”

“You’re not embracing the spirit of the game, Rafa.”

Although he was hesitant to admit it, he absolutely adored it when she called him that. Knowing this, Liv used this power sparingly to get him to open up sometimes.

“Fine, you broke me.”

Olivia silently waited for him to continue.

“There was this one girl in my poli sci class. She wasn’t beautiful but she was fairly pretty. And smart. God, she was smart. It always kind of pissed me off, the gunner mentality. It ended up being more of a hate-fuck than anything, but neither one of us really knew what we were doing. To make it all worse, I was so nervous that I’m pretty sure I came ten minutes after we started.”

They both chuckled a little bit. Nobody had a great first time, which is why Olivia had picked this particular question.

“Rafael Barba was nervous? Incredible.”

The captain interrupted their banter with an announcement: due to the time, many passengers would now begin to rest and those who chose to stay awake are advised to lower the brightness on any digital device and refrain from any exceptionally loud discussion.

Only then, the pair finally noticed the ambient quiet of the resting plane and moved closer to better hear each other in the newly decreased volume. Due to the darkness outside and the recently dimmed overhead lights being the only light source, a new shadow fell upon them. Now their shoulders were practically touching – there wasn’t much room to begin with – and Olivia felt a distinct warmth growing in her lower abdomen.

“Truth or dare, Lieutenant”

“I suppose I should pick truth. Hell will freeze over before my tongue makes contact with anything else on this plane.”

_So much for joining the mile-high club_

“When did _you_ lose _your_ virginity and how bad was it?”, he asked while almost wishing that the conversation would stay on this carnal topic.

He figured that reversing her first question back at her was fair play, anyway. Unfortunately, instead of sparking a flirtatious conversation laced with sexual tension, the mood sobered almost immediately and Rafael instantly sensed his misstep.

She quickly responded. A hint of shame shone through her attempt at an emotionless expression. “It was fine.”

Although he had expected her to shut down the conversation moments after he asked the question, the coldness of her tone still hurt. The only way he knew how the handle the situation without causing further discomfort was to move on.

“So, Liv… I guess it’s your turn to ask now.”, he asked meekly, now aiming to test the newly altered waters.

“Truth or Dare?” Her monotone voice betrayed her wish to revive their former enjoyment.

“Truth.”

“Why did you report me to 1PP?”

Once again, the mood soured.

 _“Where did that even come from?”_ was the leading thought in both of their minds. Perhaps the already existing tension gave Liv the reason she needed to fire back with this question, or maybe she’d have asked it anyway. After all, the potential answers had been a frequent topic of thought recently. Did he do it out of disgust for Tucker? For her? Or was it something completely different?

“It was an ethical responsibility. I had to report it.”

As far as Olivia was concerned, this was infuriating. At the very least her best friend should have had the decency to just be honest. Instead, he chose – a position so weak for a man so bold – to cover behind such a see-through excuse.

“Bullshit! You did have to say anything if you didn’t want to. Was your ‘ethical responsibility’ important enough to jeopardize my career?”

The dirty looks they received from their fellow passengers, most were trying to rest, forced them to quiet their conversation and lean in towards the center of the two seats. Liv’s accusatory voice was admittedly louder than she intended it to be, but the volume only emphasized her point. He knew she was hurt, and rightfully so. Although they had smoothed things over after she had returned from her hiatus, the circumstances involving why she was forced to leave was always a sore spot. In fact, they had never talked about it before. Olivia continued, although this time in a harsh whisper.

“So look me in the eyes, Rafael, and say you telling 1PP about Tucker and I was purely professional. Say it, I _dare_ you.”

He paused. “I can’t.”

The frustrated response was almost immediate as if she knew the answer before she asked the question.

“I knew it.”

Olivia leaned back against her seat with a force that made it shake a little, she turned to face the window once more and watched the opaque black of the darkness outside. He sat back as well, pseudo-focused on the seat in front of him.

“Truth or Dare?”, he asked without looking at her, as he was sure her face showed an irritated contemplation of the situation.

“Dare.” Her defiant tone was off-putting, but it didn’t stop his split-second decision to take a risk.

“Kiss me.”

Rafael turned to face her once more, leaning in towards the center as he did before. Even after a few seconds of the proposal, Liv did not turn her head to look at him. Despite this, he felt no disappointment or worry. He knew she was still thinking about it, and after all this time together, he knew what the answer would be.

When she finally turned and briefly glanced at his lips, Rafael knew she was caught. She wanted to. Given the green light, he gently brought his hand up to cup her cheek. His thumb softly caressed the below her cheekbone, grazing the skin there, and another wave of heat emanated within her lower abdomen.

Their lips barely touched at first, it was a chaste and hesitant kiss. In the moment, within such a cramped space and the almost romantically low lighting, it was silently decided that it was more important to explore the other’s emotions rather than their mouth.

“You’re right, Olivia. And I’m sorry.”

She stayed silent and simply looked at him, his hand still covering part of her firm jawline. The signal to continue was obvious.

He elaborated, “I should have been honest with you. Told you the truth. There are so many things I should have explained. I shouldn’t have let my jealousy propel an action I knew was wrong, even if it was ethically required. There aren’t many things in life that are universal truths, but the fact that you belong at SVU is one of them. I have feelings for you, Liv, and that is the only thing in this whole scenario that I won’t apologize for.”

She didn’t know what to say. He admitted he had feelings for her, and both knew she reciprocated those feelings. That sense of mutual adoration was dominating any anger she still held. His apology was so sincere, it was almost hard not to be merciful. Although she couldn’t quite forgive him yet, she could try.

“I’ll work on forgiving you”, Liv started before pausing for a moment, “but on one condition.”

“Anything.”

“I need you to promise me something. I need to know you’ll tell me the truth from now on. I’m too old to be play games. I can’t waste my time with flings anymore”

“I promise, Liv. I’ve been waiting for this for so long, you have no idea.”

Instead of questioning and exploring their emotions, which there would be plenty of time to do on this eight-hour flight, she decided to kiss him again. It was tender and gentle as before, but his tongue swept her slightly parted lips and the intensity increased.

“So… are we…”

“Together? I’d like to think so. Maybe, when we land, I could make everything up to you. A 5-star dinner for a 5-star woman.” 

Even with the poor lighting, he could see her cheeks fill with red. “I’d love that.”

Rafael’s soft features softened even more when he began to chuckle to himself.

“What is so funny, Counselor?”

“Sinatra led me to believe that I may hear angels cheer… but I suppose one angel is too busy kissing me.”

**Author's Note:**

> Remember, if you have any cool prompt ideas (preferably one-shots), see my work titled "Prompt me, anything Olivia Benson goes...". There, I take the list of prompts that people have given me and make them into works. I've been pretty good with working consistently so far, and I plan on working through the prompts one by one. In fact, this entire series is comprise of the works I write based off the prompts I get!


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